Veronika Part in Fadeyev Ballet Nutcracker

Above photo: Veronika Part and Marcelo Gomes, ABT Nutcracker, December 13, 2013. Since Veronika Part’s unfortunate departure from ABT in July (see my thoughts on her final performance along with photos), Veronika’s fans have limited opportunities to see her great talent, style, and grace. Veronika’s fans won’t want to miss her in Fadeyev Ballet’s Nutcracker along with students from the Fadeyev school. Performances will be at the Jeanne Rimsky Theater in Landmark on Main Street, Port Washington, NY on Friday, December 22 at 7 pm, Saturday, December 23 at noon and 5 pm. Port Washington is easily accessible from Penn Station, about a 50-minute train ride on the Long Island Railroad. Port Washington is the last stop on the Port Washington line. The LIRR station is on Main Street as is the theater, which is within walking distance. Tickets are on sale at the Fadeyev Ballet website.

Yaroslav (known as Slava) Fadeyev and wife Juliana opened the Fadeyev Ballet School in September 2015 in Greenvale, Long Island, focusing on the Vaganova method (the Vaganova method is a ballet technique and training system devised by the Russian dancer and pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova (1879–1951)). Slava, who was a Soloist with the Mariinsky/Kirov Ballet, comes from a distinguished ballet family. His mother, Svetlana Fadeyev, was a Principal Dancer for many years at the Mikhailovsky Theatre and was a professor at Saint Petersburg University of the Humanities and Social Sciences. His brother Andrian was a Principal Dancer with the Mariinsky and is now the Artistic Director at Yacobson Ballet. All are from Saint Petersburg, Russia and trained at the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy. Juliana has a long and varied career in the arts. She trained in ballet and her work includes regional theater, musical theater, film and television.

Yaroslav Fadeyev as Drosselmeyer. Photo courtesy of Fadeyev Ballet.

Veronika and Slava share a deep connection with Russian ballet as both were in the Vaganova School at the same time and danced together at the Mariinsky. “Veronika exemplifies the Russian style of classical ballet that Slava teaches,” Juliana says.

Performing in the Nutcracker will be established dancers from Russia and Fadeyev Ballet students, ranging in age from 6 to 17. In addition to Veronika, Andrei Kisselev will dance the Snow King and Cavalier. Andrei is from Moscow, having trained with the Russian Conservatory of Culture and Art (Bolshoi Ballet curriculum) and danced in the Moiseyev Dance Company. He has also performed in Riverdance for four years globally. Natalia Sheptalova is cast as the Snow Queen. Natalia graduated as a ballet artist from the Moscow Classical ballet academy. She was a soloist with the Russian National Ballet and Moscow Festival Ballet.

The choreography is by Slava, Juliana, and Vasily Ivanovich Vainonen and, not surprising, is a traditional Russian Nutcracker. “Slava grew up dancing the Mariinsky (Kirov) version and we base our show on that. The young girl is Marie (Masha), not Clara as she is called in the US. Slava uses the original darker E.T.A. Hoffmann’s story The Nutcracker and The Mouse King as his reference point while still keeping the sweeter aspects of the ballet version.” said Juliana. The school’s first Nutcracker was last year.